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Stoke-on-Trent City Council – subject to ‘light touch' CLG intervention following years of troubled leadership – plunged to new depths this week, when it sacked a housing director receiving treatment for cancer. Breast cancer patient, Jeanette McGarry – the council's £130,000 a year director of housing, environment and neighbourhood services – returned home from surgery last weekend to find a letter from Stoke's chief executive, John van de Laarschot, revealing her contract had been terminated. Mary Orton, president of chief executives' union ALACE, told The MJ the action was ‘cruel, inhumane and unfair'' and launched an appeal to reinstate Ms McGarry. ‘We will defend Ms McGarry. We're furious. This is utterly unacceptable,' Ms Orton added. The council claimed Ms McGarry, who joined Stoke last June, was serving an extended probation period, which would make it easier to dismiss her. But Ms Orton said the housing director completed her probation period in November. Sources at Stoke familiar with the case said a key reason for Ms McGarry's dismissal was her performance since taking on the director's role. But Ms Orton said Ms McGarry, a former chief executive at East Staffordshire BC, had received encouraging feedback about her role from Stoke's previous interim chief executive, Chris Harman. Ms McGarry and other senior figures at Stoke have clashed over contracting and service delivery issues since her appointment. But The MJ understands that communications discussing Ms McGarry's dismissal also cited her ill health – and the amount of time she has taken off due to illness. Local government experts said that could leave the council open to legal challenge under the Disability Discrimination Act. Ms Orton said: ‘If the council claims that Ms McGarry's dismissal is performance-related, then there is a clear framework that should be followed before a contract is terminated – our understanding is that clear framework has not been followed.' The MJ understands Stoke's executives invited Ms McGarry to discuss her role, but received written warnings from her hospital – the Royal Marsden – that she should not attend due to her poor health. Town hall sources supportive of Ms McGarry expressed fears the council was trying to ‘hurry through' her dismissal because she would receive additional employment rights from June. Mr van de Laarschot was unavailable for comment this week. But a spokeswoman for Stoke City Council confirmed Ms McGarry's contract had been terminated – and that she had the right to appeal against her dismissal.

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WHITEHALL

Stoke under fire after it sacks housing director with cancer

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